febay view. it contains complaints. these complaints have never been model blocks and going through and improving quality of life, then it has to be more than an inspector coming out and re- inspecting time and time again, or director's hearings or notices and never any action that follows that. it is not something that is new. it is clearly something that has been going on for years and years and years. i have sent e-mails out. i have spoken with commissioner walker. i sent e-mails to all the commissioners. it needed to be brought to your attention that this blight continues. homeowners get away with it. property values of neighboring

homes drop. there is an issue here and it starts with the commissioners. it starts with the inspectors. something has to happen. i wanted to make sure it was said. that is simply what i wanted to do today. hopefully, if you have any questions, the information is there. i was able to access it. i was able to walk to these properties and see that things were not happening. for the most part, you can look at the pictures and see that nothing has happened. homeowners, they do not care. people have to live with this. they invite drug use. they invite alcohol abuse. there's a photo of some squatters that moved into an empty lot. on a daily basis, you can see dpw street cleaning trucks drive by to clean up the debris that

people assume they can just leave. no one is there. thank you for your time. vice president mar: excuse me, ? >> no, i am just a community resident. vice president mar: ok. >> hi. good morning, commissioners. my name is jose morayou have rer complaint. i have complained for several years that the commissioners --

the department of building inspection -- you do not seem to care. i have requested justice and i have had justice delayed and justice denied. thank you to the new people. i have been complaining for more than two and a half years. nothing is happening. i want a hearing. i want them to do an investigation, a complete investigation. the commissioners, as far as i know, there's been no investigation. i have done [inaudible] asking questions, why can't you

do the same to find the truth? i'm here today to keep complaining that dbi, bic, et cetera, are unfair to me. i have said many times, as i have said today, justice delayed is justice denied. anyone of you, including the deputy city attorney here -- have you done any research or any investigation? vivian day has given new her

information and it is not complete. i want an investigation by the city attorney, i repeat, and the report of the commissioners. i have just 30 seconds to show you that this was the problem. there were two units, 572 and 572 a. the plan in 2002 was to have an additional units on the third floor , 674. this unit was never built. this is already a violation. how can we have this recognized as a real number? thank you. vice president mar: any other public comment?

i just wanted to thank all the people that appeared for public comment. you should know that sometimes we cannot fully discussed these issues because they're not on the agenda. that does not mean they will not be and dicgendized in the futur. that is kind of the process the commission is run. they may be under our jurisdiction, but they may not be. i wanted to thank the people that appeared. i know it takes a lot of time. i want to a dog to everybody who spoke today -- i want to acknowledge everybody that spoke today. >> concession and possible actions to approve the director of building inspections professional committee memberships. >> good morning, vice president mar and commissioners. i have to request approval to serve on any committees that are

outside the purview of the city and county of san francisco. i have been asked to serve on the state code committee, the access committee, which is the disable access committee, and the emergency preparedness committee. i have been asked to be vice chairman of that committee for the california building association. i've also been asked to be a board member for the county building officials for california. i'm asking for your permission or approval to do this under the charter requirements. most of the committee meetings are held via teleconference. there's a general meeting held once a year were all the committees meet in conference and that is a one day to two-day conference in business meeting. vice president mar: any other

questions or comments from the commissioners? >> is this an annual request? >> the appointments are annual appointments, yes. commissioner lee: who requests these appointments for you? is it a state official that invites you to these committees? >> usually at the conference is you are asked by various members of the committee if you would be willing to serve on the committee. vice president mar: an action item. commissioner walker: i think we need public comment. vice president mar: is there any public comment on this agenda item? >> the woman is guilty of malfeasance in her director position. how could you allow her to do

other work? this is completely preposterous. i recommend you do not allow her, allowing her to pay more attention to her current job duties. thank you. vice president mar: commissioner walker? commissioner walker: i move we approved the participation of our director in the state why discussion about building code issues and approve the recommendations as put forward. commissioner lee: second. vice president mar: there's a motion on the floor that has been seconded. >> commissioner walker? >commissioner walker: yes. >> commissioner lee? commissioner lee: yes. >> commissioner murphy? commissioner murphy: no.

>> four to one. thank you. item six. report on the progress for setting standards for gray water systems, including permit approval for dbi and coordination with the puc. >> good morning, commissioners, vice president mar. chief plumbing inspector, san francisco. i've been asked to come and speak as part of rainwatgray wa. i have been working with the puc for the past two years now, incorporating a manual for homeowners, customers, contractors that want to start installing the re water systems. one of the things i have right now is a draft that explains how systems are to be installed.

it with dbi and the plumbing department, we realized it is expensive to do the systems. one of the things in the manual is the type of plan check of the type of systems that are installed, due to the fact that we have properties that are one on top of another. planchette is one of the important things to have done tree will save contractors, homeowners money and time before they obtained a permit or start to do any type of work, so they know they can do these systems. we're looking to make this as safe as possible. the water going from a gray water system, unfortunately to a neighbor's property to the top of ground you have or the type of layout you might have done. we like to know exactly what is coming forward and make it easier for the applicant, so they know exactly what they are getting into. we would be able to identify

these types of projects, so we have been working with them, for like a said, over two years. i have been with gray water for four or five years now knowing that it is coming forward. one of the biggest concerns we have as well is the types of systems. where they are putting it, how they are putting it. we want to be there for the health and safety of the people. we want to be the leading forces say that we are here to help you and make this as easy as possible. we are all behind it 100%. we just want to see if it can come forward and be easy. if you look at the handout you have now, it is basically telling you everything. little snippets of what is being done in the manual that we have been working on with the puc. it shows different systems, different requirements, what we are expecting at dbi, what puc

is putting out there as well and how we're planning to help them. one of the biggest things that will help everybody would be plumbing plan check for especially these types of systems. it will make a lot easier for everyone and save everybody, like i said before, time and money. commissioner murphy: last time you brought it up, there were some issues with the device. the washing machine pumping the gray water out. >> one thing that is actually in the code is the gray water for laundry to landscape. that was in the newspaper the other day of somebody will put one of those in. it shows how you take from the laundry as a single pipe. there's no cutting into the plumbing system, a changing of any piping. that is already installed. all that stays there. then you have the three-way valve, and that takes it directly to the landscape. that is not permanent. we do not see those. because it has no typing that is

being cut into. no new installation of piping that would require it. those we do not see. anything else beyond that -- permits, inspections, engineers dams, gaea tech -- geotech -- it is required. commissioner murphy: it is still voluntary. it is not mandatory. then i guess, it is voluntary. if you would like us to look at the systems you are installing, they can come down and get a permit, have thus look at it, or if they would like to come in and show us the plans they are planning to do before they do it and get our input of what it is a great system or whether it will work in the location, more than welcome. commissioner murphy: does it require an additional permit? >> if they are coming into the office and speaking to the plan checker, i am assuming -- i not know if there would be a fee associated with that.

that is not there yet, so i cannot tell you, but if they wanted to have someone go out and inspect the installation of a contractor somebody hired, then, yes, they would have to get a permit. commissioner murphy: what is really driving this or bringing this on is the leaking of water into a neighbor's property or the downhill side? >> you are getting more of a concern from next-door neighbors that are seeing gray water systems being installed to a neighbor's house that might be on a hillside, or even on flat ground, and they are getting watered intruding into their basement unit, their own unit into the carriage -- the garage, and they do not know where it is coming from. we send somebody out for a complaint, and we are looking at the sanitary systems, so we d oe leak could be coming from. if we do not know that they have a laundry to landscape and it is not saturated at the time we go out there, finding that type of leak knowing it is there is

really difficult to do. i spoke with the health department in this regard, and they say they go out as well and do a sample test. problem is the sample test is going to show laundry detergent, dirty water, could show anything. that is kind of the same thing you would get out of a sanitary system. then knowing exactly where it is coming from as well gets a little complicated. commissioner lee: how much would it cost -- what is the estimated cost for having a soil report? >> i do not know. i could not tell you. commissioner lee: we do not know how much the fees are just yet? not the soils reports, for a permit fee. >> for a basic kermit, it is going to be -- i want to say $165 for a basic premise. i will say bathroom to landscape project.

it would be a $160 permit. commissioner lee: ok. do we have an estimate of what the installation costs maybe? >> that all depends on who is doing it. if you are hiring a plumber, doing it as a homeowner, it all depends on what you're using for materials, the type of landscape you are doing, planning, everything else. >> the kit that the puc is providing for homeowners to install themselves, do we know how much those cost? >> again, i have no idea. that is something i just found out about a few days ago. i know that they are having a meeting for a workshop and in the workshop, they are going to show exactly what is going on. commissioner lee: what i am leading toward is i hate to see this new project get too costly

for homeowners to take advantage of. right now, i anticipate soil reports could cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars. >> there are certain things in here that may sit in the soil is not exactly what you have in that area. we can use that data, and it makes it easier and less expensive. also, that is one of the reasons why we were talking about having a plumbing plan check for the systems to have someone talk to was first. i know certain areas throughout the city myself, telling as you can have it in these locations, because of the water tables, the high tables, and that type of thing. commissioner lee: ok, so there would be some areas where you would say, "this is what we know?" >> there is just no way to do those types of systems because that ground is already being saturated. you would not be able to take that gray water to the ground. it will not work. that is one of the reasons why coming to see us before you went

to spend that kind of money might make it easier. did not need a soil report, they did not need to install those, and everything was fine. commissioner lee: if you put the burden on the home water to get the report, it could be a disincentive. >> that is where we're not trying to go. we are trying to make it easier to come forward and show us what you have, where you are at, where you are located, the type of soil you have, and then we are able to assess where we are at and go from there. if we have no idea, then we will need some kind of report, especially if you're talking certain areas of san francisco that have smaller back yards, smaller lots that want to use certain types of systems. you are going to need more information. you are going to need more information in order to figure out exactly the type of space, the type of bird, the location,

where they are sitting at, and everything else. commissioner lee: regarding the neighbors' concerns of having the gray water flowing into their yard, is there a process to keep the neighbors and former of the homeowners request to install something like this? -- to keep the neighbors informed? >> unfortunately, i do not believe so. commissioner lee: maybe take that into consideration when you are discussing it. >> i think it came up a year- and-a-half ago. if there is a gray water system and we have a permit, we are able to look at it and have some fun of documentation so if a complaint or something arises, we can go back to that information and see that. without it, it is very hard. without the permit, you should not have those kinds of problems. hopefully, it is not a lot of water going in the backyards, but if it becomes an issue, finding out will be difficult on our in. with the permit systems, having that information, if a complaint

does arise and it is in the back yard or away from home, we are able to go back and look and say that we have a laundry landscape, bathroom to landscape, a gray water system going into this back yard. we would be able to go back and look that up and investigate from their and then do the corrective actions and notify both party owners of what is happening. commissioner lee: typically, you say that the system should not -- we would prefer that they did not leak into the neighbor's yard. >> definitely. we do not want anything from one property going into the next property. commissioner clinch: regarding the soils information, i think it is great that someone acknowledged that there may be soils reports available for the adjacent property that could be used, but who will make the determination that it is appropriate for this? because that takes some technical understanding. >> there would have to be a guideline set up for exactly how

it will be done. that would be something that we would put together and have for that person that is doing that. that is over the counter, to say that it is or is not an issue. >> commissioners? any other questions? i just want to thank the inspector for being involved in this, and we would like to stay involved in it. i think it is important for us to communicate with puc and other policymakers. we want to support the gray water initiatives in san francisco, but we also want to make sure they are done safely and that it does not infringe upon other properties and cause other problems later. commissioner walker: the part about being able to identify certain areas that are going to trigger issues -- i think that

is an important issue, especially as we experienced the water rise that we know is coming. if there is a way that we could make -- you know, pay more attention to those or a process that catches those, i think that would be helpful. commissioner murphy: that is great that you are willing to help the public and advise them on it. very important that it is kept as inexpensive as possible. homeowners are not going to be able to afford a soil report. it costs all kinds of money, and they are not going to go there, and they are just going to go into their own system. if we keep the money out of it, then you're going to get people that will come for advice on how to do with the correct way. that is how i see it. >> you talked about the gray water and the price.

there are other things happening with storm water, collection, rain barrels used for landscape in this as well. again, if that is something coming in, somebody doing a great water system and rainbow system, combining that, that saves a lot of money and time, and we are able to help them out as much as possible. commissioner murphy: great. that is a good idea. thank you very much. >> public comment on items six? then item seven, discussion and possible action regarding a proposed administrative proposedab-084 guidelines for the structural review of continuous tied down systems used to resist overturning of light-framed would shear walls in response to comments from the building inspection commission. then i guess, you have before you a recommendation from our code advisory committee that

this ab-047, which is the specifics of middle reports special inspections and file exceptions of smokey joe's systems, smokeyab-084, guidelines for structural review of continuous tied down systems used to resist overturning of light-framed with sheer walls, have been approved,vetted by the code advisory committee and forwarded to the commission for your approval. commissioner walker: are we taking items seven and eight together? >> i would like to. item eight was formed in conjunction with the fire department, and we have the fire marshal year to help -- here to help explain a little bit about the guidelines. >> quickly on items seven, this was before us a few months ago.

i have some comments from the committee. >> can you go over those comments and the resolution of them for us as a structural engineer? >> i cannot remember exactly. there was a concern about the fact that they had used some terminology referring to the need for posts. when you do need some sort of vertical compression element adjacent to the tiedown, which will have a counter action force in the wall. that was one of the comments. i have forgotten -- i think there was a total of three comments, but we have gone back three months ago. needless to say, i feel like we have discussed the issues. they removed some wording and added some. commissioner murphy: what has changed from the previous system?

>> this is to allow the use of the continuous tension rods systems, which are say which between studs as opposed to a more traditional hold down. these are more continuous. not to advocate one system over another, but they tend to be cleaner and simpler to install, and you do not have problems with old lining up in the right place and having to do a lot of drilling into the post to have the holddown be installed properly. any other comments or questions? commissioner walker: could we hear from the fire marshal? thank you for coming this morning. >> it is a pleasure to be here. i am just here to let you all know that the fire department

has worked with the code advisory committee for a number of years on the smoke control bulletin. we feel is necessary. we are happy with the wording, and the code advisory committee was also happy in the end. it is a necessary document that smoke control systems are complicated systems, required in all new high-rise buildings and in some other buildings, specialty occupancies, but they involve many different disciplines -- sprinkler systems, fire alarm systems, architectural elements of the building, mechanical systems -- and they require a lot of coordination between the various trades and making sure that all these various systems of comply with the smoke control report. this document will give guidance to designers to know what is required for these of middle and approval of these systems.

-- for the submittal and approval of the systems. commissioner lee: any other questions? public comment? -- commissioner hechanova: other questions? public comment? >> seeing that, item nine -- >> do we need to approve? i move to approve administrative bulletins or support or whatever the language is, both 7 and 8. commissioner murphy: second. commissioner hechanova: the motion has been moved and seconded. commissioner walker: yes. commissioner lee: yes. commissioner mar: yes. commissioner murphy: yes. commissioner clinch: yes. >> the motion passes. item nine, directors report. 9a, update on dbi's